Seed drill



Nov. 13 1923.

w. C. WARREN SEED DRILL Filed Jan. 30. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedNov. 13, 1923.

UNITED STATES SEED Application led January 30, 1922.

To @ZZ whom t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. vWARREN, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Seed Drills, of which the following is a Speeiiication, reference being had to the accompanying' drawings.

he present invention relates to implements utilized forsowing seed inrows and which are commonly known as seed drills. Hitherto in implements4of this class it has been customary to provide a hopper communicatingwith a chamber in which a rotatable member is disposed for the purposeof agitating the seed and carrying it to a position from which it mayfall through an opening in the wall of the chamber and thence through asuitable spout to the furrow in the ground. It has, however, been foundin seed drills of this general construction and in which the chamber isof cylindrical form with the agitating member rotatable about the axisthereof, that difficulty is experienced by reason ofthe lodging of seedsbetween the edge of the opening and the agitator blades which tends tocrush and injure the seeds, while, additionally, when the major portionof the seed has been eX- hausted from the hopper, the flow of the seedthrough the openingbecomes irregular so that it is deposited in thefurrow in a more or less uneven manner. Moreover, owing to the shape andarrangement ofthe parts it is very diflicult to entirely exhaust theseed from the chamber, a small quantity generally remaining therein vinsuch position that it is notswept through the opening by the agitator,and is thus wasted unless removed from the chamber by hand.

principal object of my invention is to provide a'seed drill which may,if desired, also be utilized for the distribution of fertilizer or thelike, ywhich is of extremely simple and compact designand which is notopen to the objections to which reference has been made;y Awhich shallembody means for readily varying the size of the opening through whichthe seed is ejected so as to .adapt the implement for use with differentsizes and kinds ofseeds; which shall embodva seed distributing chamberof novel design in association with an agitating member of peculiarAconstruction andv operal,4?4,l84 PATENT QFFICE.

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 S. L. ALLEN TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

DRILL.

Serial No. 532,570.

tive to continuously agitata the seedin the chamber while the machine isin use, and to sweep the seed to the opening in the chamber wall in suchmanneras to prevent the jamming of the seed betweenthe agitator blade orteeth and the wall of the discharge opening. v

My invention further comprehends the general simplification of: thevarious elements of seed drills so as to reduce kthe cost of manufactureand minimize the liability of becoming damaged or inoperativeV underhard usage, as well as the production ofan implement of attractivedesignand appearance which may be operated for the purpose intended andwhich is effective to secure an even distribution of thefseed in thefurrow irrespective of the amount of seed contained vin the hopper oragitating chamber.

My invention further includes all ofthe other various objects land novelfeatures of construction and arrangement shown inl the accompanyingdrawing or hereinafter more particularly referred to or described. y

In the said drawing in which kI have shownv a preferred form of myinvention, the particular type of implement illustrated is one moreespecially adapted for the distribution of seeds intruclr-ga-rdening orsimilar' work, but it will be understood thev use of the i11- -ventionis in no way Vlimited to any particular style or character of seed drillas the same may be embodied in othertypes of implements than thatillustrated and which maybe more suitable for5other kinds ofagricultural operations.

In said drawing F ig. l is a side elevation, with certain parts brokenaway for the sake of clearness, lof the form of my invention now to bedescribed view thereof. Fig is aside elevation on a reduced scale of thebodyof the drill;Fig. 4 is a vertical fragmentary enlarged sect-ion onthe line l-4- in Fig. .1; ig. 5 isa'fragmentary elevation on the samescale showing theelement forming the agitating chamber together withvcertain adjacent parts; l? 6 is an end elevationthereof; F ig. 7 is asection on line 7-7 in Fig-6, and Fig. 8 is a side elevation `of theagitator' removed from the machine. Like numerals are used to designatesimilar parts inthe several figures. i

As shown, the seed drill comprises afbody l substantially rectangular inplanaryoutf and Fig. 2 is a top .plan

msY

l the purpose `walls or flanges 3,

i Vwardly directed lug line adjacent its upper edge and having a sidewall 2, front wall 3 and rear wall'lt these several walls bounding ahopper 5 for .the reception of thel seed. VPreferably the several wallsare arranged to converge downwardly as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and ifdesired the side wall adjacent its upper edge may be formed to provide alip 6 to assist. in the convenient introduction of the seed. Preferablythe top of the body is left open adjacent the side wall and covered onthe opposite side by a cover plate 7 formed integrally with the endwalls.

The side wall is provided .with a. boss 8 forming a bearing for thedrive shaft 10 hereinafter referred to and a short dist-ance below theboss is arranged to terminate in an inwardly directed circular shoulderor ledge 11 with which one end of the element forming the agitatorchamber and hereinafter described, is adapted to operatively engage. heend walls 2 and 3 of the hoper terminate a little above the center lineof the boss as best shown in Fig. 3. and for of conducting the seeds tothe furrowa discharge chute is formed below and rearwardly offset fromthe [lange or shoulder 11, conveniently by extending downwardlytherefrom an integral wall 2 which is in eect an extension of the hopperwall 2 and at the edges of which are 'end 4', the latter adjacent itsupper extremity being rearwardly flared so as to sembled for thereception of the conical element forming the agitator chamber.

It will be observed that the side of the casting forming the body isentirely open opposite the walls 2` 2', this opening being closed in theassembled machine by a cover plate 15 conveniently formed of sheet metaland so shaped as to rest against the open side of the casting to whichit is secured by suitableV screws 16 positioned at convenient points,the casting being provided with suitable lugs or flanges for thereception of the screws. Thus when assembled the plate is rigidlysecured to the casting. The latter is also provided with a rearwardlyand up- 18 to which may be secured by bolts 19 a suitable rearwardly andupwardly extending handle 20 by means of which the implement is guidedand propell ed by the operator.

For the purpose of opening a suitable furrow yto receive the seed as itfalls from the discharge chute the implement may be provided withapreferably vertically adjust able Vplow 22 comprising a V-shapedupwardly and forwardly curved blade 23. Adjacent the rear end of theblade a support 24 is arranged to extend iertically upward and from theside edges of this support lat erally spaced wings 25 (only one of whichis shown) are ext-ended rearwardly so as to reprovide room when themachine 1s f hub and f erablv about 15o ceive between them the lowerextremity of the discharge chute. Conveniently the .sup-

ort 24 is provided with a central vertical slot 26 through which extendsa bolt 27 carried by the front wall 3 of the chute and upon theprojecting end of which is disposed a wing nut 28 which bears againstthe support and by means of which the plow may be secured in any desiredvertically adjusted position within the limit-s of movement permitted bythe length of the slot 26.

For the purpose of covering up the furrow opened by the plow as theimplement is propelled over the ground the latter is provided with avertically movable covering blade 30 having a forwardly extending arm 31the end of which is pivoted on a horizonA tally positioned pivot bolt 32disposed in a suitable lug formed on the body in the. rea-r of the wall2 in such manner that the blade is free to move in a vertical plane.ably the blade is substantiallyy square in planary outline with itsunder face curved upwardly and inwardly tions from its side edges sothat as it is drawn forwardly over the ground it tends to throw orscrape the earth inwardly from both sides of the furrow, thus thoroughlycovering the seed deposited therein. To prevent the covering downwardlyto a vertical position when the implement is lifted from the ground, thearm 31 may be provided with an integral stop member 35 arranged toengage the wall 2l and thus limit the possible downward movement of theblade. i'

The implement is operatively supported by a ground wheel 40 of anysuitable construction having spokes 41 terminating in a hub 42 andsecured to one end of the shaft 10 extended outwardly beyond the coverplateythe connection between the hub and the shaft being convenientlymade by a cotk ter pin 44 passing through through the shaft so that theshaft and wheel rotate together. This shaft is also operative to effectthe rotation of the agitator 45 which tator casing 46 and now to bedescribed.

This casing is conveniently formed of sheet metal inthe shape of atruncated cone, the angle of inclination of the wall being pretalthougha greater or less angle of inclination may be employed in certainconstructions. The base of thel casing is conveniently provided with anoutwardly directed flange 48 which is secured,`as by rivets 49, totheinner face of the cover plate in such manner that the axis of the coneshaped casing will coincide with that of the shaft 10 and theoppositefextremity of the casing will rest in the shoulder or ledge 11adjacent the lower extremity of the inner face of the wall 2,

Prefcrn blade from swinging with the axis of the cone,`

in opposite direca flange on the Vdisposed at spaced intervals of thecasing into the discharge chute. It

will be understood that the interior of thc hopper adjacent the smallendof the casing is so shaped that the seed will tend to slide down thewalls of the hopper and be directed into the casing, and additionally,that the upper part of the casing adjacent the small end thereof is cutaway as at 50 for a portion of its length as best shown in Fig. 5 so asto enlarge the opening through which the seed may pass from the hopperinto the casing. It will be further understood that theinterior of thehopper adjacent the small end of the casing is so shaped and the ledgeor shoulderl 1l so disposed that the end of the casing below the cutaway portion will snugly abut against the wall of the hopper.

-Rotatably mounted within the agitator casing is the agitator 45 whichis of peculiar construction and comprises a preferably circular base 52and a plurality of teeth 53 about the periphery thereof. The base whichis of a diameter to form a free working fit within the large end of theagitator chamber, is provided with a central aperture for the passage ofthe shaft 10 and is conveniently mounted on a sleeve 54 provided at oneend with an outwardly extending flange 55 which is riveted or otherwisefixedlysecured to that face of the base opposite to that from which theteeth project. The sleeve is arranged to extend through a suitableaperture in the plate l5 which is provided with a Vbushing 'rigidlysecured in the aperture `and projecting outwardly beyond the face of theplate and is operatively secured in fixed relation with the shaft l0which extends therethrough in any suitable manner, conveniently by meansof a cotter pin 57 extending through the sleeve and the shaft. a washer58 preferably positioned over the projecting end of the bushing 56serving to prevent longitudinal play of the shaft.

The teeth 53 arey each of substantially truncated irregular pyramidalform, the angle of inclination of the outer face of each tooth beingpreferably slightly greater than that Vof the wall `of the agitatorchamber,

while that side of each tooth which, when the agitator is rotated in thedirection of the arrow in Fig. 6, forms theV leading face of the. tooth,is preferably inclined at an angle of about 45, whereas the opposite,face is but slightly inclined from the vertical.v Additionally, thesurface of the forward or more greatly inclined yface of thev tooth ispreferably not. entirely plane but substantially slightly helical inVcontour with respect Vto the axis of rotation `of the agitator, to ltheend that as the latter is rotated in lthe direction of the arrow, theteeth will impart a sort of sweeping motion to the seed lying on thebottom of the agitator chamber so as to continually brush or sweep thesame up the inclined wall of the chamber in a direction away from thebase of the agitator. While in the drawing the agitator is shown ascomprising live teeth, a greater or less number may be employed ifdesired, the height of the teeth measured parallel to the shaft l0 beingpreferably about one-half the length of the agitator chamber wall.

For the purpose of permitting the seed to pass from the agitatorchamber,the wall of the latter is provided with a preferably-substantiallyelliptical discharge opening 60 disposed in the rear of a vertical planepassing through the axis of the shaft 10, in which position the openingstantial alignment with the chute 13. It will be observed that the widthof this opening, that is, the smaller diameter of the ellipse, ispreferably such that the ends of the teeth will be in substantialalignment with the major axis of the ellipse, so that when the agitatoris rotated, the teeth will consecutively pass approximately over thathalf of the opening lying adjacent the larger end of the agitatorchamber.

Means are also provided for regulating the size of the opening inaccordance with the particular sort of seed `which is to be employed,said means preferably comprising a. cur-ved plate 62 adapted to engagethe exterior of the wall of the agitator chamber in the vicinity of theopening 60, the lower end of this plate being curved as at 63 insubstantial conformity with the edge of the opening. Rigidly secured tothe plate is an outwardly projecting stud 64,1311@ end of which isextended loosely through an aperture formed in the inwardly turned end65 of one arm '66 of a member 67 having another arm 68 extendingupwardly to terminate above the cover plate 6 and thus substantiallyforming a bell crank lever. This member is preferably of sheet metal andis pivotedfor rotation on-the projecting end of the bushing 56 betweenthe washer 58 and the outer face of thecover plate. For securing the arm68 in any desired position, a bolt 70 having a squared shank is passedoutwardly through' the cover plate. and through a curved-slot 71 formed68 which is widened in the vicinity of the slot, and a wing nut 72 isthreaded onto the projecting end of the bolta washer 73 being preferablydisposed between the nut and lthe i in the arm ber, the parts being soarranged that when Y the arm is at one end of its throw the lplate willbe entirely clear of the opening GO and when at the other, will overlapthe opening sufficiently to close or nearly close it. Thus by suitablemovement of the arm the size of the opening may be regulated to a nicetyin correspondence with the size of the particular seed which is to besown, and to assist in properly setting the arm the upper end of thelatter may be provided with a. pointer or notch T5 cooperative with anyindex 7G marked on the surface of the cover plate and showing theproper position of the arm for Various sorts of seeds. In order that theplate may at all times closely hug the outer surface of the wall of theagitator chamber a small spring 7G is preferably disposed on the studGil between the plate and the lug 65 in such manner that the plate willybe yield- A ingly forced against the wall but without in i 'desire orintend to in any charge openmf;

any way interfering with its movement thereabout in correspondence withthe movement of the arm.

In the operat-ion of a seed drill constructed in accordance with myinvention, the plow Q2 may be set to open a furrow of the desired depthwhen the implement is pushed over the ground and the arm G8, through themedium of the index, brought to and then clam ed in the 3ro er Jositionto suitablyv P l P l regulate the size of the aperture G0 for theparticular kind of seed which is to be. sown. The seed is thenintroduced into the hopper and the machine propelled forwardly by thehandle 20, thus causing the rotation of the ground wheel et() andcorresponding rotation of the agitator within the agitator chamber. As aseed sifts downwardly into the latter .from the hopper the rotation ofthe agitator continuously sweeps it up the inclined wall of the chamberand toward the discharge opening 60, through which it falls into thechute and thence to the furrow which is thereafter closed through theaction of the covering plate 30. lt is found in practice that throughthe cooperation of the peculiarly shaped agitator teeth with theinclined wall of the agitatorfchamber, the seed is swept or brushedthrough the diswith entire regularity irrespective of the quantity ofseed in the hopper, and further, that there is substantially no jammingof the. seed grains between the agitator teeth and the edge of thedischarge opening which in the types of drills hitherto employed is amatter of frequent. occurrence, resulting either in seed lgrains or instoppage of the machine.

`Vhile I have herein described and shown in the accompanying drawingswith considerable particularity apreferred embodiment of my invention, Ido not thereby manner limit myself to any precise details ofconstruction or arrangement of the various element-s, nor to theemployment of the. invention in teeth spaced damage to the Y .1A-masadrills of any particular character or type, as suitable modificationsmay be made iu the precise form. and disposition of the several partsand the invention employed in different sorts of implements adapted forsowing seed or for distributing fertilizer without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Y

Having thus described my invention, claim and desire to protect byLetters Patent of the United Sta-tes: v

l. In an implement of the class described7 thccombination of a hopper,an agitator casing having inclined walls disposed within ,v

the hopper and closed at its larger end,-a rotatable agitator within thehopper an having spaced teeth cooperative with but spaced from the wallof the casing to sweep seed toward the small endthereof when theagitator isy rotated, and means for rotatingV the agitator when over theground.

2. In an implementof the class described, the combination with a hopper,of a rotatable agitator disposed within the hopper and comprising a baseand a plurality of substantially pyramidal teeth spaced about itsperiphery, `a casing substantially in the form of a truncated conedisposed within the hopper about` but spaced from said agitator andextending into the hopper beyond the agita-tor teeth,

the implement is propelled said casing having its small end openingdirectly into the hopper and its wall provided with a discharge opening,and means for rotating the agitator when the implement is propelledoverthe ground.

3. In an implement of the class described, the combination with ahopper, of an agitator casing having a. discharge opening in its walland forming a substantially conical agitator chamber communicating withsaid hopper through its smaller end, a shaft eX- tending horizontallythrough .said casing,

an agitator mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith, said agitatorcomprising a base adjacent the large end of the casing and a pluralityof substantially pyramidal about the periphery of the base and extendingtoward but terminating short of the small end of the casing, and meansfor effecting the rotation of the shaft when the implement is propelledoverV the ground whereby said teeth are operative to sweep the seed insaid casing in a direction away from the base of the agitator and acrosssaid opening y i 4- Anmplemet of comprising a unitary hopper anddischarge chute. said hopper andchute being open at one side, a coverplate adapted to close said open side, an agitator casing `mountedonsaid plate, having anY inclined wall and communicating with saidhopper,said wall beine' Provided. with en :ensuing yelferns lOO iis Ythe, 'dass assente@ with said chute, an agitator mounted on a shaftwithin the casing and having a plurality of spaced teeth cooperativewith the Wall of the casing, means for rotating said shaft when theimplement is propelled over the ground, and means for controlling thesize of the discharge opening.

5. An implement of the class described, comprising a unitary hopper anddischarge chute open at one' side, a cover plate adapted to close saidopen side, an agitator casing carried by said plate, communicating Withthe hopper and provided with a discharge opening aligned with saidchute, an agitator comprising a plurality of spaced teeth disposedWithin the casing, a shaft extending through said easing and adapted torotate said agitator, means for eifecting the rotation of said shaftWhen said implement is propelled over the ground, and adjustable meanscomprising a spring pressed plate cooperative with the exterior of saidcasing operative to regulate the size of said discharge opening inconformity With different sizes of seed.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day ofJanuary, 1922. WILLIAM C. WARREN.

